Onshore wind rules to be relaxed after Tory revolt - BBC
The government has pledged to relax restrictions on building onshore wind farms in England after a threatened rebellion from Conservative MPs.
Former minister Simon Clarke, who led the rebellion on wind farms, said the concessions offered by the government were a "really sensible package".Under current planning rules, companies in England can only apply to build onshore wind turbines on land specifically identified for development in the land-use plans drawn up by local councils.The guidance, introduced under former PM David Cameron in 2015, has led to a sharp decline in the number of sites granted approval.In a statement, Housing Secretary Michael Gove said the government now intended to rewrite planning guidance to enable local areas to identify sites "suitable for onshore wind".He added this would allow ministers to "move away from the overly rigid requirement for onshore wind sites to be designated in a local plan".The government will also seek views on developing local partnerships for "supportive communities" - by, for example, granting them energy bill discounts in exchange for hosting new wind farms.How many more wind farms will the UK build?